This invention relates to a fishing lure assembly comprised of a plurality of spring-loaded fishing hooks disposed in a fishing lure body.
The use of fishhook assemblies having a plurality of hooks is well known in the art. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,077,930 discloses a fishing lure wherein a plurality of hooks is coupled by a swivel member to an eyelet fixed to the tail end of the lure body.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,175,322 discloses a pair of fishhooks wherein a latch pin may be moved into and out of engagement with latch loops of a helical compression spring wrapped around the shank of each hook. A fish strike pulls the hooks away from a free end of the latch pin, releasing it from the latch loops of the spring and enabling the spring to spread the barbed ends of the hooks apart from each other. The latch pin and helical spring of the disclosed device are elements which are separate from the pair of fishhooks.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,241,260 discloses a pair of fishhooks having rigid shanks extending upwardly toward each other, terminating in a spring integral with each shank and tending to bias the shanks away from each other. A clip positioned astride the shanks holds them in contracted relation for baiting. Upon a fish strike, a fishing line pulls the clip toward the spring, releasing the shanks and allowing them to spread apart to enhance engagement of the fishhook barbs with the fish's mouth.
The latter two above devices require a separate, external member to hold the shanks of fishhooks in contracted relation, and none of the above devices disclose a fishhook assembly having fishhooks with resilient legs disposed within the body of a fishing lure.
Accordingly, it is an important object of the present invention to provide a spring loaded fishing lure that eliminates the need for an externally attached member to hold fishhooks in compressed relation.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a spring loaded fishing lure with a plurality of fishhooks having respective resilient legs.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a spring loaded fishing lure wherein flexible resilient legs of fishhooks are provided with respective outward bends near the juncture joining the fishhooks.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a spring loaded fishing lure wherein a plurality of fishhooks are disposed within a fishing lure body.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a spring loaded fishing lure that requires only a minimum number of parts, thereby fostering simplicity in production.